Lafayette man pleads guilty to having stolen firearms

United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lafayette man pleaded guilty to possessing eight stolen firearms.

Rico D. King, 39, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik to one count of possession of stolen firearms. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, during an investigation into Lafayette burglaries and after developing leads as to the location of the stolen firearms, agents executed a search warrant in September of 2014 at a residence in Lafayette where King was an occupant. During the search, agents found King in possession of the stolen firearms including a .26-06 caliber rifle, two .25-06 caliber rifles, a .410 gauge shotgun, two .12 gauge shotguns, a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle and a .270 caliber rifle. Victims of the burglaries reported all eight firearms as stolen.

King faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date was not set.

Multiple agencies including the ATF, FBI, Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office and Lafayette Metro Narcotics Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert C. Abendroth and Kelly P. Uebinger are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide program designed to reduce violence by aggressively enforcing existing federal firearms laws.

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